Tonight on MKR, boss friends Maria and Bailey had their eyes on the prize at their Adelaide Instant Restaurant, Medusa. Despite an almost perfect entrée, a forgotten ingredient in their main dish brought the duo undone.
They received a total score of 68 out of 110, placing them second last on the leaderboard (ahead of Michael and Rielli), with only two more Instant Restaurants to go.
Their fine dining, Mediterranean-inspired menu featured Spanakopita Raviolo with Feta Crème, Crispy Leek and Dill Oil for entrée, Murray Cod with Citrus Beurre Blanc and Charred Leek for main, and a dessert of Greek Yoghurt Panna Cotta with Citrus, Thyme and Honey Gel, accompanied by Pasteli.
The visually stunning entrée impressed the judges, despite a kitchen mishap: the pasta was so thin it began to split, leaving no spares to taste.
Manu called the dish “absolutely delicious,” praising its “technique, flavour and textures – tick, tick, tick,” and scored it a 10. Colin praised the perfectly cooked pasta and scored the dish a nine.
Confidence was high in the kitchen, but things unravelled with the main course. Bailey forgot to add white wine to the sauce, resulting in a thick, unbalanced dish.
Manu’s fish was overcooked, earning a four, and while Colin’s fish was cooked well, the sauce was “way off” scoring it a five.
Bailey described their main scores as “humiliating and embarrassing,” while Maria admitted: “We don’t accept failure, and we did fail.”
With their confidence shaken, the duo hoped dessert would redeem them.
The citrus panna cotta showed promise, but the biscuit was too thick and the citrus overwhelmed the delicate base.
Manu enjoyed the panna cotta but said the textures clashed, scoring it a five, while Colin found the combination “odd and jarring,” scoring it a six.
Though not a total flop, the dessert wasn’t enough to erase the earlier missteps, leaving Maria and Bailey’s fine dining ambitions hanging in the balance.
